2013 Hawaii - Day Six - Na Pali Coast

Another early morning. The plan for the day was to cruise and snorkel the Na Pali coast. We had to be at Na Pali Coast Catamaran at 6:45 am. We got there about 15 minutes early and walked around the corner to a small cafe for a quick bite to eat.

They loaded us in a van, took us to an outrigger and then shuttled us out to the boat. We spent the rest of the morning cruising along the coast. They took the boat deep into four different sea caves, including the second longest sea cave in the United States. It was a very cool trip. The scenery is unlike any that I think I have ever seen.

Just before lunch, they stopped off and we snorkeled off of one of the beaches. I am still trying to figure out the names of the caves and the benches. Just as I dropped off the boat into the water, a large sea turtle floated up and stared at me. We had a couple of sandwiches on boat after we were done snorkeling and then started back. It was about 1:00 p.m. before we reached the rental car.

After stopping at the hotel and changing, we spent the afternoon heading back to the eastern shore. We stopped at the Kilauea Lighthouse. This is a major bird sanctuary. From there, we drove to the Wailua Falls. Sharon has been wanting to drive up to these falls ever since the plane landed. Unfortunately, the falls were underwhelming.

We finished the evening with a very nice meal at Postcards. Sharon and I both had monchong for dinner. Sharon said that she thought that this was the best meal that we had on the trip.

2013 Hawaii - Day Five - Hanalei Bay

Another early morning... Today is moving day. Up at 5:30 am, we were out of the room and in the rental car to the airport before 6:30 am. After grabbing a bit to eat at Starbucks, we had an uneventful flight to Kauai. We will be spending the next four night at the St. Regis Princeville near Hanalei on Kauai.

Picking up the rental car, we drove straight to the hotel and were there before 11:30 am. Going to check-in, they actually had our room ready. They also mentioned that they were upgrading our room; we are still not sure why. The room turned out to be fantastic. It is about 70 yards from both the bay and the pool with a great view of Hanalei Bay. We can walk out the back of the room to the beach or the pool.

We ended up having a nice lunch at the pool bar. Afterwards, we did something that we rarely do: hang out around the pool. Eventually, Sharon and I made a quick trip into Hanalei to figure out where we needed to go for the Na Pali cruise on Friday.

After getting cleaned up, Sharon and I had a drink in the bar. The three of us finished the night with dinner in the Kauai Grill at the hotel. We took a break during dinner to walk out on the deck and watch the sunset. I had lamb chops, while Sharon had a steak.

Sharon spend most of the day muttering about how fabulous the hotel is!

2013 Hawaii - Day Four - Hanauma Bay

This is turning into a trip of early mornings. We were all up before 6:00 am. We ended up having the buffet breakfast at Duke's.

The plan for the day was to go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. The guidebook talked about how this is one of Oahu's most popular attractions and that the parking is full by 9:00 am to 9:30 am. I was determined to get there early so that we didn't have a problem. We ended up pulling into the parking lot a little after 8:30 am. The lot was probably about 80% full at that point.

After watching a conservation video, we wandered down to the bay. I ended up taking off on my own while Sharon stayed with Jack. I was very impressed with the number and variety of fish. After the first hour, the three of us went out and explored two other lagoons in the bay. Sharon and I finished with a swim out to point where the surf was breaking. We all ended up having a wonderful time. We also stayed a lot longer than I thought that we would. By the time, we got back to Honolulu, it was after 2:00 pm.

We wandered down Waikiki Beach looking for a place to have a late lunch. The first place that we went--The Oceanarium--was not open for lunch. We ended up having very nice lunch along the beach at the Moana Surfrider underneath an enormous 100 year old Banyan tree.

We did a little shopping on the way back to the hotel. Leaving Sharon and Jack in the room, I wandered along the beach to get a picture of the hotel and a couple of historical sites.

After getting cleaned up, Sharon and I went to the House Without A Key for drink. The three of us finished the day with a late dinner at Doraku Sushi near the hotel.

2013 Hawaii - Day Three - Pearl Harbor

When we first started talking about taking a Hawaiian vacation, I pushed for at least a couple of nights in Honolulu. I wanted to visit Pearl Harbor.

On the way to Pearl Harbor, we made a quick stop at Leonard's Bakery for Portuguese malasadas. Sharon was not impressed with the pastry.

I was surprised how crowded Pearl Harbor was went we got to the parking lot about 9:20 am. It seems like we got the last parking spot. There were lots of cars circling the lot as we got unloaded.

I had bought tickets for the USS Arizona Memorial a couple of months ago. Picking up our tickets at will call, I overheard that tickets were already sold out for the day. After getting our tickets, Jack, Sharon and I wandered the grounds and through a couple of exhibits with an audio tour before our 10:30 am tickets.

They show about a 15 minute movie about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and then loaded you up on a naval boat to take you out to the memorial. The memorial sits over the sunken USS Arizona where almost 1,000 sailors died. We got to spend about 15 minutes at the memorial before boarding a boat to head back. It was a very moving experience.

After the USS Arizona Memorial, we caught a shuttle bus to the USS Missouri. We wandered through the open areas of the Missouri. Jack and I did overnights with the cub scouts on both a submarine and an aircraft carrier. The Japanese surrendered in World War II on the deck of the Missouri.

While we were getting a bit to eat at the food truck at the USS Missouri, it start to pour. By the time we were done eating it stopped. We have been very lucky with the weather so far. It has not rained while we were out and about.

Our next stop was the Pacific Aviation Museum. Jim Dunn mentioned recently that this had been recently reopened. We toured two hangers of planes and helicopters. I was surprised how into the write-ups of the planes that Jack got. Afterwards, we caught the shuttle bus back to the entrance.

Leaving Pearl Harbor, Sharon wanted to drive up to Pu'u Ualaka'a State Wayside Park. This overlook is at 1,600 feet about Honolulu with a great 180 degree view of the coast and the city.

Getting back to the room, Sharon and I got cleaned up and had a drink and a snack at the Rumfire bar in the neighboring hotel. We finished the night driving into Chinatown and having a Chinese dinner at the Legends Seafood. Although it sounds odd to say, we were the only white people in the place...

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Puzzlejuice

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


Code Expiration: August 20, 2013

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - 8mm

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


Code Expiration: August 20, 2013

2013 Hawaii - Day Two - Diamond Head and the North Shore

Up very early, Sharon and I wandered out to the beach and explore the neighboring hotels. Eventually, we got Starbucks and headed back to the room.

There was a two part plan for the day. The first half was to hike Diamond Head. When we got to Diamond Head a little before 8:00 am, the parking lot was already full. We ended up driving back out of the crater and parking down at the Junior College. This only added a little less than a mile each way to the trip. I enjoyed the hike a great deal; it includes a tunnel, a long staircase and a circular ladder. The views from the bunker on the top of Diamond Head were spectacular.

Back at the car about 9:30 am, we started off on the second half of the plan for the day which was driving on the north shore of Oahu around the island. Along the way, we made stops at the Halona Blowhole and La'ie Point. We had intended to stop at the Valley of the Temples, but due to Memorial Day it was absolutely packed.

We stopped and had lunch at Giovanni's Aloha Shrimp Wagon in Kahuku. The place was packed. By the time we ordered, got our food and eaten, we were probably there almost an hour and a half. The shrimp plate was excellent and worth the wait. After lunch, we stopped at the Turtle Bay Resort for a drink in the bar.

The section of coast after the Turtle Bay Resort is home to some of the best surfing in the world. This includes the Banzai Pipeline. It is home to the best surfing in the world in the winter, not the summer. This time of year, the surf is surprisingly flat.

Eventually heading back towards Honolulu, Jack wanted to stop at the Dole Plantation. We ended up going through the maze and having some ice cream.

We rolled back into the hotel about 5:30 pm. Jack wanted to work out in the gym. I ran 4.49 miles on the treadmill, while he lifted.

Sharon had made a 9:00 pm dinner reservation at Allan Wong's. Once we got cleaned up, Sharon and I had a couple of complementary Mai Tai at the hotel. We got a cab to dinner about 8:30 pm. The three of us all ended up selecting the chef's menu with wine pairings. The entree's included snapper and a short rib. Sharon was less than thrilled by the meal.

By the time, we got back to the hotel and down for bed it was after midnight.

2013 Hawaii - Day One - Waikiki Beach

Over the last few years, Sharon and I have talked about the fact that I have never vacationed in Hawaii. I went to Honolulu once in 1991 when we were doing the Systematics Commercial Loan implementation. Dan Mattos and I spent two nights and three days there doing the training. When we started to talk about this year's vacation, we ended up settling on a Hawaiian package with Pleasant Holidays.

We took an uneventful 9:15 am flight from Sacramento to Honolulu. Picking up a rental car, we were checked into the room in the hotel by 1:00 pm. We are spending the next few night at the Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki Beach. After changing into something more comfortable, we had a nice lunch at the Mai Tai Bar at the hotel.

Afterwards, we wandered down the beach. Sharon had talked about wanting to take an outrigger ride. I was surprised by the experience. With us paddling, they were actually able to get the outrigger to surf a couple of waves into the beach. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the beach, swimming in the ocean and hanging out by the pool. Jack and I were trying to body surf in the smaller waves.

Back in the room to get cleaned up, the laptop [a Mac Air] that I travel with would not boot up. It turned out that there was an Apple Store literally 100 yards from the hotel. Jack and I spent an hour at the Genius Bar working with Justin to get the laptop restored and working.

From there, we headed to dinner. Sharon had made reservations at Duke's. We had a nice dinner with a view of the ocean and Diamondhead. I had swordfish, while Sharon had ahi. The fish was very good and very fresh.

By the time, we got back to the room, our clocks were essentially on midnight. We crashed hard.

Sierra Valley Storm 9, Walbeck Baseball Academy 3

Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U get on top of SV Storm early but can't hang on in 9-3 loss

Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U jumped out to an early lead, but was unable to hold on and lost 9-3 to SV Storm on Saturday.

An RBI single by Starosciak gave SV Storm the lead in the fifth inning.

Alex Isola-Lefty (default) went a perfect 3-3 at the dish for Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U. He singled in the first, third, and sixth innings.

SV Storm's Starosciak, Garmston and Ito combined for five hits and five RBIs.

In the top of the first, Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U grabbed the early lead, 2-0. Isola-Lefty (default) singled to ignite Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U's offense. Alex Dailey doubled, plating Matthew Freeman. The scoreboard lit up again for Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U when Isola-Lefty (default) scored on a groundout by Aaron Lee.

SV Storm never trailed after scoring five runs in the fifth on a two-run error, a sacrifice fly by Martin, and two singles.

SV Storm tacked on another three runs in the sixth. Garmston singled, scoring Alvarez to start the inning. That was followed up by Ito's triple, bringing home Garmston.

"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved." Any reuse or republication of this story must include the preceding attribution.

WALBECK 15U (3) AT SIERRA VALLEY STORM 15U (9)

WALBECK 15U          AB  R  H BI  SIERRA VALLEY STORM  AB  R  H BI
Jack Heringer         3  0  0  0  Sam Starosciak        3  1  2  2  
Matthew Freeman       2  1  0  0  Blake Martin          2  0  0  0  
Alexander Isola       3  1  2  1   Luke Johnson         1  0  1  1  
Alexander Dailey      3  0  1  1  Crew Wrinkler         3  0  1  1  
Aaron Lee             1  0  0  1  Brendan Galbreath     3  0  0  0  
 Addison Lueras       1  0  0  0  Anthony Palombi       3  0  0  0  
Chase Pyles           2  0  0  0  James Alverez         2  2  1  0  
 Marco Petrucci       1  0  0  0  Sean Garmston         3  2  2  1  
Ryan Ingersoll        3  0  1  0  Riley Persity         3  1  1  1  
Matt Clarke           2  0  0  0  Logan Ito             3  2  1  2  
 Kyle Roessler        1  0  0  0  CJ Harger             2  1  0  0  
Drew Gross            2  0  0  0   Sterling Holden      1  0  0  0  
Zach Silvert          1  1  0  0                                    
TOTALS               25  3  4  3  TOTALS               29  9  9  8

WALBECK 15U                   201 000 0 -- 3  
SIERRA VALLEY STORM 15U       010 053 x -- 9  

LOB--WALBECK 15U 4, SIERRA VALLEY STORM 15U 6. ERR--Andrew
Wiesenfarth, Matthew Freeman, Alexander Isola, Addison
Lueras, Marco Petrucci, Matt Clarke, Crew Wrinkler.
2B--Alexander Dailey, Riley Persity. 3B--Logan Ito.
SACF--Luke Johnson. SB--Zach Silvert, Sean Garmston, Crew
Wrinkler, Sam Starosciak (2).

 WALBECK 15U                     IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Aaron Lee                      1.00    0    1    1    3    1    0
Matt Clarke                    4.00    4    5    2    0    1    0
Matthew Freeman                1.00    5    3    3    0    2    0
 SIERRA VALLEY STORM 15U    
James Alverez                  7.00    4    3    2    3    7    0

PB--Matthew Freeman, Brendan Galbreath. SO--Drew Gross, Kyle
Roessler, Matthew Freeman, Zach Silvert, Addison Lueras,
Chase Pyles, Jack Heringer, Blake Martin, Riley Persity,
Brendan Galbreath, Sterling Holden. BB--Matthew Freeman,
Zach Silvert, Addison Lueras, Crew Wrinkler, James Alverez,
Sam Starosciak.

Walbeck Baseball 4, Silverhawks 3

Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U defeats Silverhawks after late game error, 4-3

Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U and Silverhawks volleyed the lead five times on Friday, but Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U came out on top for a 4-3 win on Friday at McAuliffe.

Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U pulled out the win thanks to a strong fourth inning. An error scored Kyle Roessler and gave Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U the lead for good.

Matthew Freeman reached base two times in the game for Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U. He doubled in the third inning.

Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. More runs came home for Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U when Pyles scored on an error.

Silverhawks tied the game in the third on a passed ball that scored Longo.

Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U brought home one run in the third inning, and matched that run total in the fourth. In the third, Walbeck 15U College Prep 15U scored on a groundout by Chase Pyles, scoring Freeman.

"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved." Any reuse or republication of this story must include the preceding attribution.

SILVERHAWKS (3) AT WALBECK 15U (4)

SILVERHAWKS          AB  R  H BI  WALBECK 15U          AB  R  H BI
Lungo                 2  1  0  0  Alexander Dailey      3  0  0  0  
Kester                3  0  0  1  Matthew Freeman       1  2  1  0  
Trevor Beards         2  0  0  0   Andrew Wiesenfarth   0  0  0  0  
Otterbine             3  1  1  0   Addison Lueras       1  0  0  0  
Stamey                3  0  0  0  Alexander Isola       1  0  0  0  
Nelson                3  0  0  1  Chase Pyles           2  1  0  1  
Brown                 2  0  0  0  Aaron Lee             3  0  0  1  
 Myers                0  0  0  0  Kyle Roessler         3  1  0  0  
J Steamy              2  0  1  0  Matt Clarke           3  0  0  0  
Folsom                2  1  1  0  Ryan Ingersoll        2  0  0  1  
                                   Jack Heringer        1  0  0  0  
                                  Drew Gross            2  0  0  0  
TOTALS               22  3  3  2  TOTALS               22  4  1  3

SILVERHAWKS                   002 100 0 -- 3  
WALBECK 15U                   201 100 x -- 4  

LOB--SILVERHAWKS 1, WALBECK 15U 4. ERR-- Folsom, Trevor
Beards, J Steamy,  Brown. 2B--Matthew Freeman. SB-- Lungo, 
Folsom (2), Trevor Beards,  Otterbine.

 SILVERHAWKS                     IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Trevor Beards                  5.00    1    4    1    4    1    0
Myers                          1.00    0    0    0    0    1    0
 WALBECK 15U                
Marco Petrucci                 2.00    0    0    0    1    3    0
Zach Silvert                   2.00    3    3    3    1    3    0
Andrew Wiesenfarth             3.00    0    0    0    1    2    0

PB-- Otterbine. WP--Trevor Beards, Zach Silvert. BALK--Zach
Silvert. SO--Lungo, Trevor Beards (2), Stamey (2),
Otterbine, Brown (2), Drew Gross, Jack Heringer. BB-- Lungo,
Trevor Beards,  Myers, Matthew Freeman, Alexander Isola (2),
Chase Pyles.

Eileen's Graduation - St Francis Class of 2013

Sharon, Jack and I went with the Frame Clan to Sharon's niece Eileen's graduation from St. Francis High School. The group included Tom, Becky, Brun, Kim, Tim, Kathy and Kathy's uncle and aunt. Sharon and Brun are Eileen's godparents.

We were sitting in the upper deck of the Memorial Auditorium when a 5.7 earthquake hit outside of Greenville in Northern California. It was a very weird sensation to feel the building roll! It has been a long time since I felt an earthquake.

ESPN Films 30 for 30: Elway to Marino

On Saturday night, Sharon and I finally watched Elway to Marino. Studying for finals, Jack wandered in and ended up watching most of it with us. This is the eighth installment of ESPN's 30 for 30 Vol II. An episode guide for Vol II is here.

In the spring of 1983, six quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the draft; this is still the most ever. The film explores the first round of the draft through the eyes of the players, head coaches, general managers, team owners and agents who participated. Agent Marvin Demoff who represented both John Elway and Dan Marino kept a diary in the months leading up to draft day. Demoff reads from parts of the diary as the story moves along.

Elway was drafted first by the Baltimore colts. This storyline could have almost been a 30 for 30 by itself. Elway and his father were adamant that John was not going to play for the Colts. One of the 30 for 30 Volume I films--The Band That Wouldn't Die--looked at the move of the Colts franchise from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984. The shots of Colts owner Robert Irsay in this documentary brought back memories of Irsay staggering drunk through the other 30 for 30.

Marino ended up dropping to the next to last pick of the first round. Four other quarterbacks were drafted between Elway and Marino, including Todd Blackledge #7, Jim Kelly #14, Tony Eason #15 and Ken O'Brien #24.

The film walks through each choice in the draft as it falls towards Marino. Some time is spent looking at each draft choice's career.

I was pleasantly surprised by the story; it was not quite what I was expecting. While not my favorite of the current set of 30 for 30s, the film is worth looking for.

Elway to Marino is available on iTunes.

A trailer for the film is here.

Virtually Biking Across America - Day 59

On day 59 in an early morning ride before work, I rode east 16.1 miles across Nebraska. Starting from Bridgeport, I rode south on US-385 Scenic, Road 105 and then several unnamed roads to the Mud Springs Pony Express Station [N41 28 57.6 W103 00 42.6].

The trip log for Virtually Biking Across America is here.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


Code Expiration: August 13, 2013

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - The Heist

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


Code Expiration: August 13, 2013

Chester Allan Arthur by Zachary Karabell

I finished reading Chester Alan Arthur: The American Presidents Series: The 21st President, 1881-1885 by Zachary Karabell. After finishing the book on James Garfield, I wanted to read about more about the Vice President who became President after Garfield died. This was one of the few books that I could find. This is part of my continuing effort to read about all of the United States Presidents.

Arthur served effectively as a quartermaster for the state of New York in the Civil War. After the war, he was a successful lawyer in New York City. Eventually, Arthur was appointed by Roscoe Conkling to head of the Custom House of the Port of New York. The New York Customhouse was then the largest federal office in the country. In an era before income tax, it accounted for not only three-quarters of all custom duties, but more than a third of the government's revenues.

Arthur was forced out as the head of the Custom House in 1877 in a power struggle between the two wings of the Republican Party. He became such a celebrity that he was nominated for vice president in 1880 in spite of his never before having run for office. Elected alongside James A. Garfield, Arthur found his life transformed just four months into his term, when an assassin shot and killed Garfield, catapulting Arthur into the presidency.

Largely ignored and discounted by historians, Arthur's term marked a turning point in a couple of interesting areas, Although he was a product of the patronage system and bossism, Arthur signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act into law. This started the United States on the road to a professional civil service system. He also started a modernization of the Navy that would be key to the United State role in the world over the next twenty years.

Arthur died at age 57 just a little over a year after leaving office. He ordered nearly all of his personal and official papers burned.

Only 140 pages long, I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

2013 Jesuit Spring Sports Banquet

Sharon, Jack and I went to the Spring Sports Banquet at the Fr. Barry Gym. It included the Baseball, Tennis, Swimming, Diving, Track & Field and Volleyball teams. After short speeches by the athletic director and principle and a pasta dinner, the teams broke up into separate rooms. The freshman baseball team went to the music room in the Harris Center.

Coach Bittle talked a little about the year. He then reviewed each boys accomplishments and gave them a certificate. After the individual acknowledgments, three awards with plaques were given for the season: Jared - MVP; Jordan - Most Inspirational; and, Sam - Most Improved.

One footnote: It looks like at least one other Jesuit Frosh player (Nick) will be joining the Walbeck 15U team.

Jesuit Marauders 2013 Frosh Baseball Roster

2 - Nick Sogard
3 - Nile Redmond
4 - Nick Iwasa
7 - Alex Isola
8 - John Louis Chiappe
11 - Cole Jacobi
12 - Jordan Vujovich
14 - Bailey Abercrombie
15 - Jonah Allman
17 - Sam Starosciak
20 - Trevor Beards
21 - Jack Heringer
22 - Jack Wolger
23 - Bryce Colombara
24 - Jared Alameida
30 - Kyle Roessler
31 - Ryan Kane
32 - Christian Flores
34 - Kevin Fitzsimon

Walbeck Baseball Academy 15U Practice

Jack went to the first practice for the Walbeck Baseball Academy 15u team at Bella Vista High School. After trying out last weekend, he got offered a spot on the team. Jack had been planning to return to the Outlaws this summer, but after some soul searching we felt like this was an opportunity that we couldn't pass up. It is a decision made with a heavy heart. Jack has played with the Outlaws, including Cooper, Trevor, Breyton and Josh for almost five years. We have built connections with a number of the families.

There were 12 boys at the Walbeck practice. I think that the final roster will be 16. There were 5 Jesuit players: Jack, Alex and Kyle from the frosh team and Petrucci and Wiesenfarth from the JV team. One of the parents said that there are 5 Bella Vista players and then a couple of boys from Granite Bay.

Try-outs for the Walbeck 17U team were held right after the 15U practice. Two boys from the Jesuit freshman team--Nick and Jared--are trying out for that team.

Silver Linings Playbook

[placeholder]

March 27, 2020 - I never put together a summary of this movie. It contains two of my least favor topics. More someday in my book about 1991.